Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Sir/Madam:

The purpose of this letter is to request an appeal for Aegrotat Standing in ENGL 100 Introduction to Literary Study, on the basis that I completed at least 60 of the work for the course, but, because of extenuating circumstances beyond my control, I was unable to complete all the work of the course.

Let me start by acknowledging that this is the second time in two years that I have appealed to you, and I would like to reassure you that I did not want, or expect to need, to make this appeal, but this past year was marred by circumstances and events that I could not have foreseen. During 2014-15, I was diagnosed with and treated for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). In June of last year, I filed several appeals to this office, all of which were granted, as a result of complications from my ADHD. The basis for this current appeal is completely different.

During 2015-16, I encountered some significant personal difficulties, unrelated to ADHD, which significantly undermined my ability to focus on and complete academic work at the end of last term. I attach a confidential letter dated March 24, 2016 from Tracy Riley, who is a Psychological Associate with whom I met, which provides some additional information on these difficulties. With some accommodations from my professors and with help and support from the Queen¿¿s Regional Assessment and Resource Centre (RARC), I was able to complete all the work required in all of my courses, except for the final exam for ENGL 100. After consulting with Heather Carter (Academic Advisor, Faculty of Arts & Science), who I believe obtained input from Prof. John Pierce, I am now requesting Aegrotat Standing for that course.

With the help of the Queen¿¿s RARC, I believe I have resolved my ADHD issues and I have made changes to my personal living situation for 2016-17, such that I do not expect a recurrence of the difficulties I experienced this year. I have taken a number of pro-active steps to improve my academic performance and I am pleased that many of my results for 2015-16 reflect those efforts. I am hopeful that this will be the last appeal I need to make to you during my academic career at Queen¿¿s. In that context, I hope that you will be willing to grant this appeal.

If you require anything further to properly assess this appeal, please let me know.

Yours very truly,

Margaret P. Guest
Student ID: 10149577
14MPG@queensu.ca